Senate immigration bill offers solutions

It is time for Congress to implement reforms that deal humanely with the millions of immigrants here illegally, while safeguarding the nation's borders against further illegal entry.

The Senate recently passed a bill that could accomplish those goals, but unfortunately, there is every indication that the House will reject the bill and many of its provisions.

The immigration reform package includes a "pathway to citizenship" for the 11 million -mostly Hispanic - undocumented people in the United States, and opponents liken that provision to the 1986 Amnesty Act. They point to the law as an example of good intentions gone awry.

The amnesty law, credited to the administration of conservative icon Ronald Reagan, granted permanent residency to nearly 3 million undocumented residents with the condition that border security would be tightened. But the latter didn't happen as intended.

But the current bipartisan Senate bill is far from the more lenient 1986 law, which conservatives blame for the subsequent influx of undocumented workers.

While neither the 1986 nor the 2013 immigration bills are true amnesty - which implies an unconditional pardon - the Reagan-era law comes far closer to it.

The 1986 Amnesty Act allowed immigrants here illegally to file for temporary residency, pay a filing fee of $185. If they could show they had no criminal record. In 18 months, they could gain permanent residency through a green card.

A special program was created to help agricultural workers get their green cards. They had only to demonstrate seasonal work experience. Others had to demonstrate a knowledge of English and U.S. civics.

The 2013 Senate bill is far more exacting.

Undocumented workers would have to pay a fine, pass a criminal background check and pay back taxes, just to get temporary legal status.

In 10 years, they could apply for a green card, but only if they maintained a clean record and held down a job. Once the green card is granted, they could apply for citizenship three years later, making the pathway to citizenship a minimum 13-year journey.

The current legal process requires immigrants to obtain a green card when they enter the country and are eligible for citizenship within about five years, according to a spokesperson for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.

The Senate bill also calls for ramping up border security. It includes $30 billion to double the size of the U.S. Border Patrol to nearly 40,000 agents, according to USA Today. Another $8 billion would pay for drones, helicopters, airplanes and surveillance technology to monitor the 2,000 miles of border between the United States and Mexico.

In addition, the E-Verify program, which allows employers to verify employees' status online, would be expanded. There would also be fingerprinting of all foreigners leaving the country to help track how many foreign visitors may have overstayed their visas.

This sounds like a stringent, but feasible plan.

It's time to face facts and adopt a pragmatic solution to the immigration problem.

The fact is that 11 million people already are in this country illegally. They work, mostly at the jobs Americans refuse to take. Their employers need a stable workforce of people willing to get their hands dirty.

Are they taking jobs from Americans? How many high school graduates - or dropouts, for that matter - are clamoring for seasonal work harvesting rice or soybeans or the grittier manufacturing jobs?

The bill does also allow for highly skilled workers in the field of technology, but the vast majority will work at low-skilled jobs in fields like construction, retail and hospitality.

We urge members of the House to adopt the Senate version of the immigration reform bill and stop the seemingly endless debate on the subject.

It is long past time to accept reality and put in place measures that will give this country a safer and more secure southern border, while bringing millions of workers out of the shadows and under the law.

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Senate immigration bill offers solutions

It is time for Congress to implement reforms that deal humanely with the millions of immigrants here illegally, while safeguarding the nation's borders against further illegal entry.